The Legend of Zelda: The Crystal Keeper
by angel.of.exodus.1981
Summary: Link is finally home after saving Hyrule for the third time, and he's ready for a little peace and quiet. But an ill-fated party at Lon Lon Ranch intertwines his fate with that of a beautiful girl, who holds the order between chaos and peace in her hands.


CHAPTER ONE - THE ILL-FATED PARTY

"Just look at that sunset."

Malon's smiling face was illuminated by the scarlet glow of the setting sun, a color matched only in intensity by the hair that hung around her slender neck and shoulders. She sighed deeply, hugging her knees to her chest. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Her smile was contagious, and soon Link could feel one spreading across his own face. It almost took him by surprise; he brought his fingers to his face, running them over his lips, tracing the dimples in his cheeks.

"Well, there it is." Malon was studying him with a look of amusement in her bright eyes.

"There what is?" said Link, his smile quickly transforming into an expression of puzzlement.

"It's been quite some time since that smile's come out of hiding," she replied in her easy, lilting drawl. "I started to wonder whether or not it had disappeared entirely."

Link brushed a strand of his blonde hair away from his startling blue eyes. "You and me both, babe."

Malon rolled her eyes. "Careful with the 'babes' there, Fairy Boy," she teased. "I'm gonna be a married woman pretty soon." She wiggled the fingers on her left hand; her ring finger was sparkling with an impressive diamond. "My fiancé hears you talking to me like that, he's likely to get pretty angry."

Link snorted. "Yeah, but somehow I'm not so worried about angering _Purlo." _He said the name with a considerable amount of disdain.

"I know you don't like him much –" Malon began in protest.

"I don't have any problem with him," Link interrupted her. _"He's _the one who hates _me. _Besides that, I think…" he struggled to find words. "I think you could do better. And anyway," he put in grumpily, "you live on a ranch."

Malon raised her eyebrows. "And…?"

"And I doubt the guy has ever done a day of manual labor in his life," Link concluded.

"Link," said Malon defensively, "he _was _born on a farm, you know. If you ever cared to have a conversation with him, you'd know that."

"Excuse me if I haven't taken up the practice of striking up conversations with carnies," said Link.

At this, she actually laughed aloud. Soon she was shaking with laugher, holding her stomach. _Malon always had the sweetest laugh, _Link recalled. _It's been so long since I've heard it… I'd almost forgotten. _When she finally regained her composure, she smiled and placed her small, soft hand on the side of his face. "You always did know how to make me smile," she said fondly.

"Then explain to me why you'd never go on a date with me," Link challenged.

She said nothing for a moment. Just scrutinized him silently, the hint of a smile playing about her lips. Finally, she tweaked his nose affectionately and said, "Girls like to flirt with the tough guys. Fighters, like you. But they bring the nice, safe ones home to their daddies, Fairy Boy." And, with that, she gave him a swift kiss on the cheek and made her way to the edge of the roof.

"I'm not a nice, safe one?" Link called after her, incredulous. But she had already leapt to the ground.

He made to stand up and follow her, but changed his mind and settled back down where he sat. He gazed out across Hyrule field, from Zora's Domain to Gerudo Valley and back to the thick greenery of both the Kokiri forest and Faron woods. He felt an unexplainable swelling of pride. Hyrule in its entirety really was a beautiful sight – but then maybe it was just so because his eyes had been hungering for something beautiful to look at for several months.

Not even two weeks ago, Link had returned home to the village of Ordon for the first time in several months. When he was eleven, he had moved to Ordon a couple of weeks after returning from a journey into a parallel universe called Termina. He had saved its people from being destroyed by the falling of their moon. The year before, he had journeyed across Hyrule for the salvation of the Hylian people and all those with whom they coexisted. It had been one tribulation after another, and after returning to Hyrule and his normal self, Link was fairly certain he had defeated Ganondorf for good. He had been very, very wrong. Link had lived in Ordon for six peaceful years when his best friend Ilia and the children of the village were kidnapped, and his world was once again thrown into chaos. Which meant another long, arduous journey for Link.

He smiled ruefully to himself. It seemed to him that his life had always been made up of a series of ill-fated circumstances that thrust him into the inevitable duty of saving Hyrule from its eminent destruction. He was just a kid when he met Navi. He was just a kid when he was first informed of his fate, his predestined heroism. Link was nearly eighteen now, and he'd spent the greater part of his youth rescuing a world that he'd always felt removed from. He was the hero boy, the fairy boy. The savior of Hyrule, time and time again.

"Well, no more," he muttered under his breath. It was his turn for a little peace and quiet.

"Link?" A familiar voice roused him from his reverie. "Link?"

He stood up, stretched, and peered over the edge of the roof. "Up here, Ilia," he called down.

She jumped a little bit, startled, and turned her face upward. Her eyes narrowed when they rested on him. "Link," she said exasperatedly, "I've been calling you for hours, everyone's here."

He blinked. "Everyone's here?" She nodded. "Then why haven't I seen a single one of them pass through here?"

"Oh, we set it up that way," she said proudly. "See, we opened the back gate and lined it up with the back entrance of the tent, and… well, you'll just have to see it."

_A sneak attack, _thought Link, his stomach plummeting. _Well played, girls. Well played. _

Ilia frowned. "Have you been up there the whole time?"

"Pretty much," he admitted.

"Why? Aren't you excited for the big event?"

In truth, Link had been dreading the "big event" ever since it had been mentioned to him in its early stages of development. But to be diplomatic, he decided to feign excitement. "Oh, no, I am," he said feebly. For effect, he pumped his fist in the air, but it was halfhearted at best. And Ilia caught on to his lack of enthusiasm immediately.

"This thing is for you, you know," she snapped. "Malon and I did all this for you. The least you could do is show a little appreciation."

Link had introduced Ilia and Malon shortly after his defeat of Zant, and, consequently, his defeat of Ganondorf. The girls had hit it off within the first five minutes of conversation, and, to his dismay, had decided to throw him a party in celebration of his victory. All of Hyrule was invited to celebrate in the field, but within the walls of Lon Lon Ranch was a more intimate gathering.

He sighed as he leapt to the ground beside her. "I _do _appreciate this, Il," he said. "It's just… my brain's kind of on overload, you know? I haven't seen most of these people since before I saved Termina. Last week was the first time I even considered getting back in touch with them. It's not like it's their fault, but… I don't know. It's like they mark the changing of my life forever, not to mention the end of my childhood. I don't know how I should react to them."

She softened a little. Taking his hand in hers, she gave it a squeeze and said, "React however you want to react. There's no 'should' in this situation, Link," she assured him. "I know seeing them might bring up a lot of things that have been dormant for a long time. It might freak you out a little bit. But I think you've made it scarier in your head than it has to be in reality."

Link fidgeted with his gauntlets. He looked up to find her staring at him, anxiously awaiting his response. With some shock, he noted that she had the appearance of one who hadn't slept in several days. Her normally bright eyes were slightly duller and ringed in a color many shades darker than her normal skin tone. She was wringing her fingers, which were blistered from the tying off of several hundred balloons, and her face was smeared with glue, glitter, and soot from the barbeque she'd been hovering over all day. He felt a surge of affection for the girl, mixed in with the slightest tinge of shame. Here, she'd put all this effort into a party just for him, and he'd unloaded his petty little worries, his irrational fears all over her. He forced a smile. _This is for her, _a voice in his head reminded him. _She'd do anything for you, you selfish son of a bitch. What's a couple of hours at a party?_

"You're probably right," he conceded. "The apprehension is all in my head. Actually, it'll probably be fun."

It sounded strained even to him. But if Ilia caught on to the insinuation, she showed no signs of it. Looking incredibly relieved, she pulled him into a tight hug. "It _will _be fun," she said in a muffled voice. "Just wait and see."

She broke away, and, keeping a tight hold on his arm, practically dragged him to where the gate of the corral was normally. In its place was the entrance to an impressive looking tent, which, Link supposed, was concealing the dozen or so people that changed his life, the dozen or so people that he both longed and dreaded to see.

Ilia paused at the door, just long enough to say, "There's one little person here who's particularly excited to see you, so make sure you give her extra attention."

"Little person?" said Link as Ilia dragged him through the flap. "What do you mean, little per–"

"_Link!!"_

He was knocked to the ground almost the second he entered the tent. Struggling to regain his vision through a startling explosion of stars in front of his eyes, he squinted, trying in vain to identify his attacker. Meanwhile, the tiny, blurry form was grasping him tightly enough to nearly completely inhibit his breathing, squealing rapidly in what Link only assumed to be Hylian; he couldn't understand a word of it.

Finally, after several failed attempts to recognize both the appearance of the tiny figure pinning him to the ground and the words it was trying to form sentences with, something in his head clicked. The last time he'd seen her, she had to leave almost as soon as they were reunited. At the time, Link had believed it would be that way forever. And it had almost broken his heart. But now, here she was, as real as she'd been all those years ago. And she could _stay this time_. He felt a mixture of urges to laugh and cry simultaneously. He couldn't remember feeling as happy as he did in that moment, and he jumped to his feet, spinning around in place, swinging her in a high circle above his head, and then pulling her close to him, holding her tighter than he'd ever held anyone in his life.

"Saria," he said in a voice hardly above a whisper. "God… Saria." It had been so long since he'd spoken the word, and now that she was here, it was as though a floodgate had been opened, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything else.

"Link," she wheezed, and her voice sounded the same as it always had in his head. "I missed you too, but you're gonna have to let go of me. I can't breathe."

Reluctantly, he dropped her to the ground. Now that he could see her clearly, he felt a strange pang of sorrow for her. She looked _exactly the same; _her green hair was the same short, girlish bob it had always been. It hadn't grown even a half of a centimeter, and neither had she. She never would. This was the fate of every Kokiri child, but a fate that was somewhat bitter for this particular Kokiri. She, unlike the rest of her people, had ventured outside of the forest many times. She was the Forest Sage. She had been part of a war. Essentially, Saria was an adult trapped in the body of a perpetual child.

She had been his best friend, and even more like a sister to him than Ilia was now. He had so many questions to ask her, so many stories to tell her, and yet he couldn't vocalize any of them. He could only stare.

"I brought someone to see you," she said brightly. "I figured, after all these years, he owed you something of an apology…"

Link felt a tugging on his sleeve and turned to see a small, red-haired Kokiri boy standing at his side. His face was turned downward, and he appeared to be tracing a pattern in the dirt with the toe of his green boot.

Link struggled to achieve eye contact with the boy. _I know you, _he thought, frustrated. _I know you from somewhere, some time._ _But… where? When?_

"Well," said Saria impatiently, "don't you have anything to say, Mido?"

Link's abrupt laugh was more like a bark. His eyes widened. "No way," he said loudly. "No effing way."

It was then that the Kokiri boy raised his wide, blue eyes to look up into Link's. If he'd seen the round face, upturned nose, and red cheeks before, he would have recognized Mido immediately. He crouched down a little so he was face to face with the boy.

_All those years ago, I was so intimidated by him. He had me watching my back all the time. He made me feel so small. Now look at him. He's just a kid. He was always just a kid._

"Mido," said Link. "Long time, no see, huh?"

Mido didn't say anything.

"You know," Link went on, "you gave me a fair bit of shit to deal with when I was a kid."

Mido looked at the dirt once again. He nodded silently.

"What was it you told me that time?" said Link vaguely. "Ah, yeah… _'I, the great Mido, will never accept you as one of us,' _wasn't it?"

Mido remained silent.

"And then," Link went on, "when the Great Deku Tree died, you _blamed me. _You blamed me. And then you blamed me for all of Ganondorf's monsters invading the forest. Hell, if it wasn't for Saria, all of the Kokiri would have hated me."

At this, Mido looked up, and Link was astonished by the look in his somber eyes. He opened his mouth, stood silent for a moment more, and then muttered, "I'm sorry."

If Link hadn't seen Mido's mouth move, he might not have believed the kid had spoken at all. "Come again?"

"I'm sorry." He said it much louder this time. "I'm sorry I was such a bully. I'm sorry I picked on you so much. I wish…" He stopped. Looked down again. "I wish I'd been nicer."

Link sighed. Picking on this kid wouldn't be any fun at all, he realized with some regret. They weren't in the Kokiri forest anymore – Link was an adult now. Mido might have been a bully when they were young, but Link had faced pure evil since his childhood. He knew better now than to believe Mido was anything more than an insecure little boy. "Look, Mido," he said gravely, "I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. I mean, we were just kids. Well, I was just a kid. You… you were just…"

"Jealous," Mido said quickly. "I was jealous."

Link blinked. "Jealous?"

"Yeah," said Mido, his face turning pink. "I was jealous. I mean… Saria really liked you. And the Great Deku Tree liked you too. When I saw you in the forest that time, after you were a grown up, I wanted to tell you – I just, I wasn't sure – And Saria…" He broke off.

_He loves her, _thought Link._ The poor kid really loves her. _He placed a hand on Mido's shoulder. "I understand, okay? No hard feelings."

Mido looked at him for a moment, as if unsure. Then, a slow smile spread across his face. "No hard feelings," he echoed.

Link smiled, stood, and turned back to Saria. She was beaming at him. "I did look up to you, you know," he told her. "I thought you were just about the greatest thing on the planet."

"Yeah, well," she said, and he was unsure of the expression on her face. "Ditto." They stood there for a long moment, staring at each other. Link thought for a second just how strange the moment was – here they were, inseparable once, reunited after years. The one couldn't prevent the inevitability of aging, the other couldn't bring it upon herself even if she tried. It was all very unreal.

"Well, hell," said a booming, rumbling voice, snapping Link back into reality. "I don't think there's ever been a soul in this life or the next that's been half as happy to see me as you are to see that little one, brother."

Link was now grinning so widely that he was faintly aware of an aching pain in his face. He spun around to face the speaker so quickly that he was sure he would have gotten serious whiplash if his neck had turned even the slightest degree more. "Darunia," he said hoarsely.

And there was Darunia, in all his colossal glory. Even though he had grown several inches since last seeing the Goron chief, Link still only came up to somewhere four inches or so below the top of his shoulder. He looked much the same; his rough skin might have been slightly more weathered in appearance, his hair (if you could call the thick mane framing his face hair) was shorter, and he had an ugly scar on the left side of his face just below one glittering black eye, but other than that, he might have been the same Darunia who had danced to Saria's song played by a ten year old Link.

"My cousin Darbus said you stopped by Kakariko," he thundered. "Link and I were sorry we missed you. The Sages all had to leave Hyrule, see. There was nothing we could've done to help it. We would've been more of a liability than an asset; Rauru was pretty sure we'd be taken for ransom or killed. So we fled to the Chamber of the Sages."

Darunia had had a son while Link lay sleeping in the Temple of Time. In an embarrassing tribute to the boy who'd saved the Gorons from King Dodongo, Darunia had decided to name his boy Link. Although he had only met his Goron counterpart once or twice, Link had found him to be a nice enough little kid. But "little" was a term he used loosely, as Goron children were nearly as tall as he was and weighed probably three times as much.

"Anyway," Darunia barked, "it's good to see you, brother!"

The Fire Sage thundered over to where Link stood and pounded him on the back so fervently that it knocked him on his face. Despite the new throbbing on the bridge of Link's nose, he just couldn't seem to be able to stop smiling. Spitting out a great deal of grass and dirt, Link straightened back up, and, swaying a little where he stood, grinned up at his Goron friend. He must have been standing there, looking up at him with the same goofy smile for some time, because Darunia's massive face was overcome with a bemused expression.

"Well don't just stand there grinning like a fool," he boomed, with a laugh that shook the very ground upon which they stood. "These folks are all here to see you, brother. And I'm sure there all itching to hear some of your stories just as much as me."

He gaped out at the crowd around him, at pairs upon pairs of eager eyes gazing upon him. Nabooru, the beautiful Spirit Sage, was leaning against one of the thick beams holding the tent in its shape, flanked by several of her Gerudo kinswomen. Her red hair hung over one bronze, muscular shoulder in a neat braid, and rather than her typical apparel of a midriff-bearing top and pants, she looked distinctly feminine in a pink silk dress, backless and slit on both sides to the nearly the tops of her outer thighs. She was nearly smiling – it was more of a smirk, really. Her golden eyes glistened with something between pride and mischief. Looking him up and down a couple of times, Nabooru sidled over to where Link stood, circled him once, and stood facing him. She was a tall woman, and her handsome face was directly across from his – and only a few inches away.

"Well," she said in a slow, sultry voice. "Well. You just keep getting more and more handsome, don't you?"

He could feel his cheeks reddening. "Uh…" he stuttered.

She grinned in full now, her red lips twisting into a playful smile. "How old are you now? Eighteen?"

A wave of giggles swept the room. Link cleared his throat. "S-seventeen still," he said shyly, his face getting hotter by the second. "Eighteen next month."

"We'll be expecting you in the Valley soon, then," she said coyly. And, just when he felt his face was about as red as it could be, she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The Gerudos murmured and laughed softly. As Nabooru pulled away, she whispered, "It's good to see you again, kid." And with that, she regained her position with her girls.

"Careful, Nabooru," said another female voice from somewhere within the crowd. "He's already got a woman."

Link grimaced – he'd recognized the voice at once. _She still hasn't forgotten about that, _he thought with dismay. _After all these years, she still hasn't forgotten._

Princess Ruto made her way to the front of the gathering by pushing everyone else aside. Link couldn't help smiling – Ruto, even after growing into a compassionate and capable ruler to her people, was just as bossy as she'd ever been. He recalled his first encounter with the Zora princess: he had, after the discovery of a message in a bottle at the bottom of Lake Hylia, gone to Ruto's rescue, and had attempted to free her from the belly of Lord Jabu Jabu, the Zora's giant fish of an idol. When he'd tried to free Ruto from her prison, however, she had been quite adamant in sticking around to look for her missing sapphire. Not only that, but she'd insisted that Link carry her around the inner workings of the water god until they find it.

Even as a child, Link's chivalric nature prevented him from saying no. But if he hadn't needed the Zora's Sapphire to further his journey, he might just have left the stubborn little girl in the belly of the beast.

After finding the Sapphire and escaping from within Jabu Jabu, Ruto took a liking to Link and handed over the precious stone. The one stipulation to receiving the stone, however, was that Link and Ruto be married. Link didn't know it at the time, but he had apparently accepted her proposal.

If he had been a Zora, he was sure it would have been a smart match. But both the species barrier and the obstinate nature of the princess caused him a great deal of dread for the day she might find him and hold him to his promise.

Though they bore the appearance of fish people, covered in blue scales and with fish-like fins protruding from their arms, hips and backs, the Zora's were quite a lovely race of creatures. Ruto was a living example of the potentials of Zora beauty. She gazed at Link with wide blue eyes, framed by wiry black lashes. She wore on her elegant, heart-shaped face an expression of distinguished pride, and she stood with a graceful posture.

"Ruto," said Link. "You look…"

"Ravishing?" she supplied. "Aw. Aren't you the gentleman?"

He chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "I thought our engagement was off," he said.

"Ah," said Ruto, taking a step or two closer to Link, "but that was only because I was living in the Chamber of the Sages. See, we were in different worlds, you and I. But now that I'm back in Hyrule (hopefully for good), we can at last be married."

Link thought he could feel the color drain from her face. _Shit. What do I do?_

But he didn't have time to think of an escape route; apparently sensing her fiancé's horror, Ruto burst into peals of melodic laughter.

"Oh, honey," she said, patting him on the shoulder as his eyes widened in surprise. "You should have seen your face. Of course I don't _really _mean to marry you. In fact…" She beckoned over her shoulder. A tall, handsome Zora with tattoos on his arms, chest, and running from his forehead to the end of the long tail atop his head moved gracefully through the gathering of onlookers and stood at Ruto's side. Link squinted at him as he wrapped one strong arm around Ruto's shoulders and kissed her on the top of her head. He looked so familiar… and yet Link was sure he couldn't possibly know him.

"Link," said Ruto fondly, "I want you to meet my _real _fiancé. This is Mikau, and he –"

But Link had yelped and jumped several feet back, as though the sound of the name had sent some kind of electric current through his body. Ruto looked absolutely stunned. She froze in mid-sentence, her mouth hanging open, her eyebrows coming down in a narrow _V. _Oblivious to the humming of murmurs that had arisen throughout his friends, Link raised a shaking finger and pointed it at Mikau, who stood beside the alarmed Ruto.

"Y-you," he stammered. "This is impossible… You were – I mean, you washed up on shore, and I – in Termina…" He trailed off, unable to make anymore noise.

Mikau smiled. "See?" he said, giving Ruto's shoulder a squeeze. "I told you the story was true. It wasn't my imagination at all."

Ruto looked incredulously from the frightened Link to Mikau, and then back to Link again. "Wait, wait," she said in disbelief. "So you mean to tell me that you found him washed up on the beach in some mystical, faraway land?"

Link nodded numbly.

"So you really _did _die?" she said in morbid fascination.

"Yep," said Mikau cheerfully. "But, for whatever reason, my death in Termina brought me here to Hyrule."

"I found him passed out on the shores of Lake Hylia," Ruto explained. "He was out cold for a few days, and after I nursed him back to health, he was going on and on about some little boy, this girl named Lulu, and a place called Termina. There was a fair bit about the moon, too. I figured he had just smacked his head on a rock or something, you know?" Mikau chuckled nostalgically.

"But… how?" murmured Link. "I mean – you _died."_

"When I died," Mikau said slowly, "I saw this… bright white light. It was just like they tell you in all the stories. And I thought I was floating up to the heavens or something. But then something _crazy _happened."

"This is my favorite part," sighed Ruto.

"I had this vision or something," continued Mikau, "of the goddess Nayru. And she told me, 'Mikau, now is not your time to die.' Next thing I know, I wake up in the care of this beautiful lady here, and the rest is pretty obvious."

"So you've been here all this time?" inquired Link.

"Yes and no," said Mikau. "Along with the rest of the Sages, Ruto left Hyrule during the whole twilight fiasco. The king and I went with her."

"But it was a mistake," said Ruto, suddenly miserable.

Mikau tilted her chin up so she looked him in the face. "You've got to stop beating yourself up about this, babe," he said gently.

"But I never should have left her," said Ruto woefully. "She might still be alive if I hadn't…"

"We all had to leave, Ruto," said Saria quietly. "We had no choice. There was no way you could have prevented what happened to your mother."

"Executed," said Ruto bitterly, tears welling in her eyes. "She was executed. In front of everyone. Thank the gods my father and brother weren't there to see it. And Ralis… left here all alone to rule…" She threw her hands up helplessly.

A little Zora boy hurried to Ruto's side. "I did alright, Sis," he comforted her. "Really, I did. And Link was such a great help."

She gave her little brother a watery smile. "I know you did, sweetheart," she said, patting his head. Ralis smiled up at her, then turned to Link, puffing out his chest a little as he did.

"Hey, kid," said Link with a nod and a smile, "how's everything going?"

"Pretty good," said Ralis proudly. "We've got everything under control. Dad says hello, by the way." Although it had only been about three weeks since Link had last seen the young Zora prince, it seemed to him the boy had grown a few inches taller. Maybe it was just the new responsibility he had had to take up as the sole ruler of the Zoras in his father and sister's absence, maybe it was the fierce glint in his green eyes. Whatever it was, Ralis definitely had a new pride in his demeanor.

"We all took a risk when we left Hyrule."

Every head turned to the handsome woman making her way to Ralis' side. Her presence in the room was powerful enough to control everyone's attention, and even without such power, her appearance would have probably done the same. Impa was tall, copper-skinned and slender. Her muscles rivaled those of the surrounding men, and yet did nothing to make her appearance less feminine. Thick, white hair framed high cheekbones, and the black leather she wore hugged a powerful build. The Shadow Sage could have been thirty or one hundred thirty; her face was ageless, as were her stern eyes. She put a hand on Ralis' shoulder and nodded curtly at Link, her hard mouth looking a little less thin than usual.

Link nodded back. "Impa," he said, bowing his head respectfully. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he looked up sharply. "Wait a minute," he said, "if you're here, then where's…"

"Right here, Link."

He turned to face Zelda, who was looking as radiant and beautiful as though she had never faced anything evil in her life. In reality, of course, she had faced more demons than the rest of them ever had or ever would. But that was the beauty of Princess Zelda – she had faced Evil himself more times than anyone else who had lived to tell the tale and always came out of it with a brave face.

Link had always thought he could have loved her, in some alternate universe. But, for whatever cosmic reason, it was never in the cards for him. Their respect for one another could never branch beyond respect and nothing more – he was a forest dweller, a boy hero turned goat herder turned hero again. She was a princess. The two of them could never be. And, as strange as it may have sounded, Link was absolutely sure he would never have wanted it to be even if it could have. They saw each other as equals, as partners, even, both with the people's best interests in mind. But there wasn't much beyond a minimal level of affection between the two of them.

He took her hands in his. "How do you feel?" he asked her quietly. She shrugged, half a smile on her face.

"I've been better," she said. Then, after consideration, she said, "But, then again, I've definitely been worse."

The two looked at each other for a moment before breaking out into similar grins. They both turned to face their friends, looking on them contentedly, feeling safe for the first time since they were ten. Link felt a swelling in his stomach that made him disbelieving of the fact that he'd ever dreaded this party. He had thought it would bring back unpleasant memories, and he had been wrong. He hadn't felt this whole since before he had even known of Ganondorf or Princess Zelda or any of them; it was strange that he now only felt whole in their presence.

The tent flap was thrown open, bringing everyone's attention to the back of the enclosure. There standing in the entrance, was a tiny black, white and green figure, with an enormous black crown perched on her head. It was so massive in comparison to the rest of her face that it slipped down and covered the one enormous amber eye that normally peered out from behind it.

Link felt suddenly as though the air had been squeezed from his lungs. "Midna?" he said skeptically.

Midna adjusted her crown and peeked around. When she found Link in the crowd, her round face broke out into an impish smirk. But there was something distinctly hollow about that smile, something mirthless.

"Oh, this is just ridiculous," said Link in a barely audible voice. "I mean… the Mirror was broken! And you… you were changed back!"

Midna shrugged. "I managed to piece enough of it together to get me back here," she explained. "I heard about the party, and I just knew it would've sucked without me. So here I am. It seems like the transformation is an unfortunate side affect of my being in Hyrule, but eh, who cares? It's only temporary."

"You heard about the party?" asked Link flatly.

She frowned. "Well, yeah," she said. "I was invited, wasn't I?"

He thought about asking her exactly how it was that she'd heard about the party, but then upon seeing the look in her eyes decided better of it. Something was wrong about her being here. Something was conspicuously wrong.

Midna finally broke her gaze. She straightened her back, raised her head proudly, and started to walk through the gawking crowd, when something bright suddenly hurtled through the open tent flap, knocking her over with a startled cry.

"Oh, what now?" groaned Link.

The fairy buzzed around Midna's fallen frame anxiously. "Oh! Oh, no! I am so, so sorry! Oh, here, let me help you up!" The little glowing orb began tugging on the stunned little Midna's arm.

"No, no!" said Midna harshly. "You've done quite enough, thanks."

"Navi!" Link nearly screamed it.

Midna lifted her head, scowling. "You two are friends? Figures."

But Navi and Link were too busy with their long-awaited reunion.

"Link!" the fairy exclaimed buzzing around his head with excitement. "Oh, look at you! It's so good to see you again!"

"Likewise," Link replied with a face-splitting smile. "I can't believe it! I mean, shit, how long has it been? Seven years?"

"At least."

"Were you in the forest all this time? Why didn't you come find me?"

"I tried to. God knows I did. But it was impossible to track you down after you took that little trip to Termina. And then I was helping–" She stopped short, turned to Impa, and said anxiously, "Where is Rauru?"

A frown creased Impa's brow. "I… I don't know," she said. "He said he would be here."

"Maybe he's late?" suggested Link. But it sounded unlikely, especially for the Light Sage. By the sound of Navi's silence, she seriously doubted this as well.

"Ah, he'll show up," Darunia rumbled, waving a frying pan-sized hand in the air dismissively. "Let's start with the partying already!"

There was a burst of applause and Link was swiftly engulfed in a mass of pats on the back and hugs and "way to go's." "Mikau!" Ruto cried over the commotion. "Play us a little music!" And, as the Zora played the first lively notes of a song, the celebration had officially begun.

The party raged on for several hours without any signs of dying down. Link found himself in conversation with so many old friends and acquaintances, he could hardly keep track of them all – Dante the grave keeper, Mutoh the carpenter, his four carpenter sons: Jiro, Shiro, Ichiro, and Sabooro, and his daughter Anju, keeper of the cuccos in Kakariko Village, Fado, the little Kokiri girl, the musical brothers Flat and Sharp, the bug princess Agitha… Nearly all of Ordon was there, including Ilia's father Bo; as was the Adventurer's Guild. Yeto and Yeta made an appearance, as did Telma, much to the dismay of Renado, who, Link noticed with some interest, was in deep conversation with Impa for a majority of the night.

It was an overwhelming amount of people under one roof, and at one point late in the night (or early in the morning… Link wasn't sure which) he had to escape, if even for a moment. After slipping out undetected, which was a hell of a feat on its own, he made his way to the barn and stepped inside, closing the door behind him quietly.

Epona was in her special stall; Malon had set one aside for her in anticipation for the horse's return to her first home. The moment that Link stepped inside, Epona snorted and pawed at the ground.

"I know," Link murmured. "You're bored. I get it. But I can't take you out now."

She shook her thick, snowy mane impatiently.

Link moved to her stall, stroking the soft fur on her nose. "You and me, girl," he said fondly. "Through all the messes, all the shit we've been through. It's always been you and me." The horse nuzzled him as he ran his fingers through her mane.

"Well, that's touching," said a voice from behind him.

He didn't even have to turn around. "Midna, shut up."

She floated through the air so that she was beside Epona's face, right in front of Link. "A horse and her boy," she sighed sarcastically. "Truly it is a sight to behold."

Link swatted the air where she levitated, and she dodged his hand quickly with a mischievous giggle. "Boy, that fairy of yours is something, huh?" she smirked. "She just never shuts up…"

"Midna," Link said gravely, "why did you come back?"

Midna smiled mirthlessly again. "Ah," she said. "The million dollar question."

Ever since Midna had made her appearance at the party, Link had felt a growing unease in regards to her presence. There was no possible way that Midna could have even made contact with anyone in Hyrule, let alone receive an invitation to a party. Beside that, piecing the Mirror of Twilight was a strenuous undertaking. Even if she _had _been invited, there was no way she would have gone through such a task for something as trivial as a party.

Midna chewed on her lower lip. After what seemed like hours, she began: "I'm the one who told Rauru to get the hell out of Hyrule when Zant invaded."

Link nodded. "I figured as much."

"Very astute of you," she said deprecatingly. He gave her a withering stare and she continued, "I've been in contact with Rauru ever since I came to the throne. We kept a sort of order between my world and yours for years. I promised to alert him of any possible threats to Hyrule, and he promised to do the same for my people."

"But what does that have to do with your being back here?" said Link.

"Damn it, kid, will you let me finish?" she snarled, smacking him over the head with her tiny hand. A low rumble built up in Epona's throat. "And you _relax."_

"Alright, alright," said Link, rubbing a spot on his head that would surely harbor a sizeable bump the next day.

"Anyway," said Midna irately, "I heard from Rauru last week. Apparently… Well, there's no easy way to put this. Ganondorf is recovering, Link. And fast. Rauru said he wouldn't be surprised if the son of a bitch was back on the move within two weeks."

Link blew a long, thin breath from his nose. "Of course he is," he said bitterly. He lowered his face into his hands. "Shit, shit, _shit."_

"That's not the half of it," said Midna. "He's got a brand new army. They're a hell of a lot more powerful than anything he's ever assembled before."

"Why?" said Link in despair. "What the hell does he want?"

"Not what," said Midna pointedly. "Who."

Link looked up. "Zelda?"

Midna shook her head. "Not this time."

Link frowned. "Who else? Is it me? Does he want me? 'Cause I'll turn myself in tomorrow if I have to –"

"Easy, hero boy. It's not you he's after." She floated to a window and looked out into the night sky. "Have you ever heard of the Valorion?"

"What, the Spirit Keeper? Midna, this is hardly the time for bedtime stories," said Link impatiently.

"Hardly the time for bedtime stories?" Midna rounded on Link with an intensity she'd never directed toward him before. "Hardly the time for – Your entire _life _has been a bedtime story, hero boy! Wake the hell up! You rescued a _fish princess_ from the belly of a _whale!_ You fought and killed your own shadow! You've been hurled into not one but _two _parallel universes, you've been completely transformed more times than I can count on one hand – damn it, you were raised by a tree! So don't you stand there and tell me this isn't the time for god damned _bedtime stories!!"_

Link swallowed hard, gaping at Midna's fuming, shaking frame. "Alright… just… calm down…"

Midna's amber eyes pierced his own for only a brief second more before she reoccupied her place at the window. "Tell me what you know about the Valorion," she said. Then she turned, scowling. "Unless that's somehow _beneath _you."

"I know that it was supposedly created by Din, Nayru, and Farore," said Link hastily.

"Under what circumstances?"

He racked his brain. "Hell, I don't know… This was a story the Deku Tree used to tell me when I was just a little guy. I can barely remember any–"

"Try," said Midna curtly, then added, in a softer tone, "please."

"Um… okay… Well, I remember that it was shortly after the creation of Hyrule… And, uh… Oh, it was supposed to be the… the protector of every living spirit in the world… and… and the… the physical embodiment of every aspect of life necessary to maintain order in the world."

"And those aspects are…?"

He shook his head. "I don't know… I… I don't really think that was every specified."

Midna studied him momentarily. "I'll give you a hint," she said. "There are seven of them, and they helped you out considerably in a couple of your journeys."

"Seven…" Link murmured. "Seven aspects of – Wait a minute. You're not talking about…" She merely raised her eyebrows at him. "Do you mean… the Sages?"

She was impressed. "Got it."

Link had begun to pace. "So… the Goddesses created an earthbound incarnation of fire, water, forest, light, spirit, shadow and… and time." He looked to Midna; she nodded. "But, Midna," he said in frustration, "what does this have to do with Ganondorf?"

"According to the legend," said Midna, "the Valorion was broken apart many, many years after its creation – right around the time both you and Princess Zelda were born."

"Which, I expect, is no coincidence," Link muttered.

"Oh, don't sit there feeling sorry for yourself. Not everything is about you," Midna grumbled. "Now stop interrupting me."

"I'm just saying, it seems unlikely that it would have nothing to do with us when it –"

"If you make one more sound, so help me _God _I will beat you over the skull with that rake."

Silence seemed to be the best option for Link at that point. Midna smirked, apparently pleased with herself.

"As I was saying, the Valorion's power was divided equally between seven individuals – as you very well know. But the Sages were meant only to harness its power. They could never dream of reaching its full potential without the Valorion itself intact. Likewise, the Valorion could never reach its full potential without the Sages. It's like the Triforce in that way – when you, Zelda, and Ganondorf are together, you have the potential to do just about anything."

"You still haven't answered my question," said Link quietly.

"Still don't get it, huh? Well. Remember how badly Ganondorf wanted to get his hands on the remaining bearers of the Triforce? On you and Zelda?"

The realization came swiftly. "He wants it…" Link whispered in horror. "The son of a bitch wants it, and he wants the Sages, too." He looked up desperately. "But how do we know it even exists? How do we know he isn't just chasing a myth?"

"Which brings me to your first question," said Midna. She perched herself on the window sill, turning so she could face Link. She looked absolutely exhausted. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. "Rauru made contact with me not even two days after I'd returned to the Twilight Realm, told me I had to return right away. Said it was urgent. Now, as you can imagine, it was a pain in the ass to fix the Mirror again. Especially in such a small period of time. But there's nothing Rauru could tell me to do that I'd refuse to. He could tell me to hurl myself from the top of a building and I'd do it – simply because I know he always has both of our people's best interests at heart twenty-four seven."

"I made a stop," she resumed, "before I came here. To the Temple of Time. He was there, but I barely caught him as he was leaving. He's spent the last few months obtaining a physical form," she explained, as Link was clearly puzzled. "He figured out a way to leave the Temple and still keep it safe. It's a pretty gnarly procedure. If I understand it correctly, it essentially involves splitting his soul in half and leaving only half of it behind."

Link winced. "Why would you possibly want to split your soul in half?"

"Only for the well-being of the entire universe," said Midna icily. "Haven't you been listening? He located it. He's tracking it as we speak."

"The Valorion?" said Link in a hushed voice. "So it does exist, then?

"So it would seem," Midna said heavily. "It's in the possession of a girl. Rauru guessed her to be nearly eighteen years of age, probably around the same age as you and Zelda."

"Definitely not a coincidence," said Link dully, heaving himself down into a pile of hay with a thud. He twirled a piece of it between his fingers. "What exactly am I supposed to do?"

"That's the thing, isn't it? If this whole thing goes off without a hitch, no one should have to do anything."

Link's fallen spirits took a leap. "How's that?"

"The plan," said Midna, "is to take the girl quietly out of Hyrule before Ganondorf can get his hands on her. Rauru wants to get her to the Chamber of the Sages as soon as he can."

"Wouldn't it be easier just to take the Valorion and leave the girl here?" Link was no stranger to being wrenched from his home, from one time to the next, and it wasn't something he wished on anyone else.

Midna shook her head. "That's not an option. It seems that when the Valorion split, its core was somehow fused with the spirit of this baby girl. Rauru insisted that removing it from her would also remove from her the ability to live."

"It's keeping her alive, then."

"That's what we're guessing. We don't know for sure, but it seems likely."

Link sighed. "At least we can nip this one in the ass before it gets out of hand. Do the Sages know about this?

"They were the first to know."

"And no one else?"

"Of course not. We're not stupid."

"Good."

"I wouldn't even have told you, except we want some extra… insurance. You know, just in case something goes down on the way to the Temple."

"Is Rauru bringing her here, then?"

"Yep. He's waiting 'til everyone else leaves, of course, but he's bringing her."

Link felt as though he had dodged a bullet. For a terrifying instant, he had believed himself to be several steps farther from the peaceful life he had just managed to get within reach of. Midna had put him once again at ease.

"We should be getting back to the merrymaking," suggested Midna with a yawn. "They'll begin to wonder about you."

"Yeah," Link agreed, getting to his feet and brushing the hay from his tunic. "I'm getting thirsty, anyway. I wonder if they've still got some Lon Lon m–"

A terrible _boom _shook the entire barn, sending bottles shattering to the ground and awakening several dozen uneasy horses. They whinnied and pawed at the ground. Midna and Link exchanged a startled glance.

"What the hell…" said Midna.

An eruption of screams answered her question before she could finish it. Link instinctively wrenched a sickle from the barn wall, following Midna, who was hurrying through the barn's door. In no more than a half a second, the two of them were scrambling into the tent, and as they did so, they could hear Zelda's voice over the commotion:

"Everybody, please! This creature means you no harm! Everyone calm down!" She was desperately trying to pacify the tent full of her frightened people, but was making no progress whatsoever, as every pair of wide eyes in the room was fixed on the massive beast in the center.

It had the appearance of a dramatically oversized deer, with long, golden fur and sizeable antlers. From the ground to the top of its sturdy shoulders, Link guessed it to be at least as tall as a large draft horse, if not taller. All around the animal, there seemed to be an ethereal glow. But perhaps its most startling characteristic was its pair of unsettlingly human-like eyes. They were wide, brown, and serene, and it surveyed the partygoers with a calm that bordered on indifference.

There was something strangely familiar about those eyes…

"Rauru!" Midna zoomed through the air, coming to a halt just in front of the deer. "Sir, what's happened? Where's the girl?"

_Midna. _A disembodied voice echoed through the tent – the voice of the Light Sage, Rauru.

"So this is Rauru's physical form," Link mused, awestricken.

_Midna, _said Rauru,_ something has gone terribly wrong. _

"What?!" she cried. "What do you mean wrong? What hap – Rauru, _where is the girl?!"_

Rauru bowed his great head and dropped onto his knees. Draped over the Sage's antlers was a crumpled female body; she slid to the ground at their feet.

Midna's eyes were wide with horror. "What happened?" She descended upon the girl and attempted in futility to roll her over onto her back. "Oh no, oh no… Wake _up."_

Rushing to her side, Link took the girl's body gently by the shoulders and rolled so that her back was flat on the ground. As he did so, the sheet of long, dark brown hair that had concealed her face fell away. Link drew a sharp intake of breath. Her wide eyes were closed beneath lids framed by long, thick lashes. Her fair skin was slightly rosier around her high cheekbones, and her full, pink lips formed the slightest, silent smile.

"She's beautiful," he murmured.

"She's also barely breathing," said Midna fiercely. "Somebody call a doctor or something!"

As beautiful as the fallen girl was, she was also badly wounded. Her face, arms, and legs were covered with deep gashes and cuts. Her white clothes were ripped to shreds and stained with blood, and there was a series of ugly purple bruises all up and down her arms and legs. Link brushed her hair away further and saw that someone had apparently tried to strangle her – there were bruises that looked conspicuously like fingers on either side of her long, graceful neck.

Carefully, Link knelt to the ground beside her and scooped her up into his arms. She was a small girl, but he hadn't anticipated she'd be so light. Her full weight felt not much heavier than Midna's.

_Careful, _Rauru said. _Her left leg is severely broken._

And so it was. Feeling a sudden wave of nausea, Link noticed the odd angle at which the girl's leg was sticking out.

"We need a doctor!" Midna shrieked. "Oh, what the hell, what the hell?"

_There will not be any need for a doctor._

"Wha- what are you talking about, her leg's snapped like a–"

_The Valorion has given her the ability to heal at a rapid rate. I would give it one hour, maybe two, and she'll be right as rain._

Link had started carrying her through the tent flap when Rauru said, _Quickly, young Link. The less time she spends out in the open, the better._

Feeling a surge of panic, Link rushed out into the fresh air and hurried for the house. It had begun to rain, and he could see the individual droplets mixing in with the girl's blood. It stained the moonlit pathway a watered-down red color. There was a loud crack of thunder, and, as the night sky was illuminated by a flash of lightning, Link threw the front door open and carried her over the threshold. As he made for the stairs, he caught a glimpse of their reflection in a mirror.

_Look at us, _he thought, in a moment of sheer madness. _We look like a pair of newlyweds._

Shaking the brief wave of insanity from his fevered brain, Link took the steps two at a time. He heard the door slam on the floor beneath them, and Malon's voice called, "Link?! Link, where are you?"

"Upstairs, Mal," Link shouted back. "Where can I put her?"

Malon scurried up the stairs hastily and joined him in the hallway. "My room is fine," she said quietly, her eyes fixed on the bleeding body in his arms. "It's through this door." As Link stepped into Malon's bedroom, she turned and began moving busily throughout the house. He crossed the floor in three strides and gently lowered the wounded girl onto a handsome, queen-sized bed, pulling a rocking chair to her side and sitting down heavily.

"What happened to you?" he sighed. "Who did this?" A few rooms down, he could hear Malon locking windows and pulling curtains shut. It wasn't long before she returned to her own room, forcefully yanking her white curtains closed. She sighed, rubbed the small of her back, and turned sadly to the girl in her bed.

"Isn't this a sorry sight?" she murmured, sitting softly at the girl's feet. "There's a dying girl in my bed and I don't even know her name."

_Her name is Faerinn. _

Both Link's and Malon's necks snapped around to see a sizeable owl perched on a tall wardrobe. Rauru ruffled his feathers and blinked placidly down at them.

Link turned back to the girl; she was stirring a little, her shapely eyebrows furrowing slightly. Tentatively, he ran the fingers on his right hand over the soft skin of her cheek. "Faerinn," he repeated, almost under his breath.

"Mister," said Malon desperately, "you're sure she'll be okay?"

Rauru the owl nodded confidently. _She'll be just fine, my dear._

"And the Valorion?" Link asked.

_Around her neck there is a chain. Pull it out of her shirt._

Malon leaned forward without hesitation and reached for a thin, gold chain around Faerinn's neck. It was so discreet that Link hadn't even noticed it before. When Malon had removed it in its entirety, Link could see a tiny, glowing orb hanging between her fingers.

"That's it?" He turned to face Rauru once again. "This is the Valorion?"

_Do not be fooled by its appearance. That little trinket has the power to make or break our entire existence._

Malon blinked. "Then we should take it away from here – we should hide it!" And she began to pull the chain from Faerinn's limp neck.

_No. _Rauru's voice was sharp and stern. _Removing the Valorion from its vessel would end her life and therefore cancel its powers out completely. It must remain around Faerinn's neck until we can safely remove it in the Chamber of Sages_

All at once, there was a tremor in the house, and Darunia, Saria, Impa, Zelda, Nabooru, Ruto, and Midna squeezed through the door, making the small room seem even smaller. "Everyone went home," said Saria tiredly. "What are we going to do about her?" She nodded in Faerinn's direction.

_We must wait for her full recovery. I expect it won't take long – look, she's nearly there._

Link was startled to find Faerinn's wounds had almost completely healed. In fact, except for an angry gash across her right cheekbone, they all had the faded appearance of being several years old. With a great deal of shock, he also discovered that her broken leg had been fully healed. He couldn't feel the slightest fracture in the bone.

"Look," said Nabooru suddenly. "She's waking up!"

Sure enough, Faerinn had begun stirring and stretching. Her eyelids began to flutter open, revealing two large, deep brown eyes. She looked around for a moment, apparently dazed, before her stare finally fell on Link.

Momentarily stricken by her beauty, Link had to clear his throat before smiling weakly and saying, "Hey."

She frowned slightly, her eyes coming into focus.

He ventured on: "My name is Link. I'm the one who's supposed to help you get to – OW! What the hell?"

In the blink of an eye, Faerinn had leapt into a crouching position and kicked Link full in the stomach. Before he had time to react, she had seized the sickle he had left leaning against the wall and had him pinned down on the bed, the cold, sharp blade digging into his throat.

"You make one move," she snarled in a low, catlike purr, "and I'll spill your pretty little guts all over the floor.


End file.
